Clarify about resetting __main__.

python · ericsnowcurrently · Sep 22, 2017 · Sep 15, 2017 · Sep 16, 2017 · Sep 16, 2017
commit efd0d9a194fdce6d4074a21ec7dfda92eb4714c0
diff --git a/pep-0554.rst b/pep-0554.rst
@@ -768,6 +768,16 @@ Possible solutions include:
 * an ``Interpreter.reset_main()`` method to opt in when desired
 * ``importlib.util.reset_globals()`` [reset_globals]_
 
+Also note that reseting ``__main__`` does nothing about state stored
+in other modules.  So any solution would have to be clear about the
+scope of what is being reset.  Conceivably we could invent a mechanism
+by which any (or every) module could be reset, unlike ``reload()``
+which does not clear the module before loading into it.  Regardless,
+since ``__main__`` is the execution namespace of the interpreter,
+resetting it has a much more direct correlation to interpreters and
+their dynamic state than does resetting other modules.  So a more
+generic module reset mechanism may prove unnecessary.
+
 This isn't a critical feature initially.  It can wait until later
 if desirable.